Leave the Glass Slippers at Home if you want to Name a Champion

We are hardly 72-hours removed from naming the UCONN Huskies as the NCAA Men’s Basketball champions for the 2010-2011 season. UCONN defeated Butler in a less than pretty fashion, as both teams shot poorly (don’t try to convince yourself this was a defensive battle). UCONN entered the championship game as a 3 seed, while the Butler Bulldogs were an 8 seed – the highest combined seeding ever in a championship game. And let’s not forget that this number could have been higher as number 11 seed VCU and 4 seed Kentucky made up the rest of the Final Four. It was an NCAA tournament to remember, with great upsets, storylines, basketball and millions of busted brackets after the first weekend.

So what did we learn? That UCONN was the best college basketball team this season? Or was it that Butler and UCONN managed to play the best basketball at the right time, and had the deck stacked just right, to make it to the final game?

We learned that the NCAA Tournament is not the perfect system for determining the champion of college basketball.

Yep. That’s correct. A play-off isn’t a perfect system for determining a champion. And maybe that crazy, money hungry system they have in college football isn’t all that ridiculous after all. We’re talking the BCS, for all of those who need help reading between the lines. This is the same hated system that is the bane of all existence to those in Boise, Idaho or Fort Worth, Texas. But after what we saw last night, I hate to break it to those smurf-carpet munchers, and unicorn-toads, but maybe you don’t actually belong in the title game. At least not yet.

The biggest knock on the BCS is that it doesn’t truly match-up the best teams in a championship game, and that by using a play-off system the best teams would face-off head-to-head until the best two were two remaining. Then a true champion could be crowned.

But is the play-off system is the best way to determine the best team? You may have some skeptics after yesterday’s tourney finale. When you have two teams who weren’t even sniffing the top-25 as they entered the field of 68, one finishing the regular season ninth in conference, and the other that couldn’t even win its mid-major conference out-right, matched up for a championship, it’s hard to say that we have the best teams. Instead what we are doing is discounting the regular season, and allowing 68 teams in to a tournament, the majority of who should never enter “the best team” discussion, and let them hash it out until one is left to cut down the nets.

So maybe there is something to this BCS format, where the regular season is used to determine the best teams, and then let them determine it on the field in a one-game, winner take all championship.


However, comparing college basketball to football is apples to oranges. The number of college football teams is drastically different. There are a different number of players on the field. Players don’t often play both defense and offense in football, lessening the ability for one to take over, like in basketball. Scheduling is different, between the number of games in a season, home and away, home field advantage, in season tournaments, etc. In college football one bad game can ruin your chances at winning a championship, while in basketball, you just need to be able to make the field of 68 in order to still have a chance.

Ok, BCS haters, you can put down your pitchforks, and torches. By no means am I calling the BCS a perfect system. In fact, I really do think a playoff type format is the best approach to picking a winner. The reality is we want to see the best sports action, and make any team that wins a National Championship to earn it. UCONN did just that this year in basketball. Though they may not have been the best regular season team, they were the last ones standing. And in college football, Auburn remained undefeated all season long, and withheld an undefeated Oregon team, that also deserved a shot at a national title, to become the champions.

Two different formats. The same result.

The BCS has some work to do. And with the parity we have in college hoops, we will continue to see the Butlers and VCUs pushing for a title. That’s sports, and it’s open to debate.

Maybe this FIFA World Cup, field of 32 thing is the best format? Another discussion.

Thank you Paul and Brian Nichols for your thoughts during our recent e-mail debate. I’d like to credit them with some of the opposing thoughts that were included in this post.